Love Can Be a Many Splendored Thing
by mmcgonagall06
Summary: Albus and Minerva have finally declared their love for each other, after nearly half a century of concealing their feelings. But someone in the castle doesn't want them together. Follow the two lovers as they embark on a remarkable journey to keep their l
1. A Bit of Hope

**_DISCLAIMER: If you recognize anything from this fic, it's not mine!_**

Albus paced back and forth around his office, replaying the day's miraculous events in his mind. He was so relieved that he and Minerva had finally shown each other their true feelings and that their feelings were indeed mutual. Albus had been madly in love with her, despite the astounding age difference between them, for forty years, always hoping, but never daring to believe, that the feeling was mutual. From the moment they had met during her sixth year as a student at Hogwarts and on his first day of teaching Transfiguration, he had know that she was exceptionally bright, talented, and witty. They had taken a special liking to each other and from that day forward had become the best of friends.

When Minerva returned to Hogwarts as a teacher, she filled the position of Transfiguration professor that Albus had vacated to become Headmaster. In the years that followed, she earned the respect (and in some cases, fear) of all of her students and colleagues, prompting Albus to appoint her as Head of Gryffindor House and Deputy Headmistress. As the two of them began spending more and more time together and their friendship grew deeper and deeper, Albus found himself wishing that they were more than friends. Every time Albus caught himself thinking about Minerva in a non-professional context, he would reproach himself and try to banish the thoughts from his mind. But it was no use. No matter how he looked at it, Albus Dumbledore had fallen totally, completely, one hundred percent head-over-heels in love with Minerva McGonagall.

For years, Albus kept his admiration a secret, never daring to show his true feelings, for fear of rejection, humiliation, or worse: the loss of a beautiful and valuable friendship. He had admired his love from afar for almost half a century and had been on the point of giving up on any chance of winning Minerva's affection, when the opportunity to profess his love presented itself so suddenly that he did so without even realizing what he was doing until it was too late.

At breakfast that morning, Filius Flitwick announced to the staff that he would be throwing a party that evening to celebrate a certain dwarf's one hundredth birthday and that all were welcome to attend.

"And please," he said wearily (as though he had been asked this question several times already and was not pleased about having to answer it again) when Albus asked what he would like for a present, "no gifts. I've got a hundred years worth of birthday and Christmas presents from God knows who and I've got quite enough to be getting on with. It's not as though I need a memento, or token, or what have you, to remember the occasion by. I mean," he added with a small chuckle as he elbowed Albus jokingly in the ribs (which was quite a reach for him as he was very short, and the headmaster very tall), "it's not every day one turns a hundred years old, is it?"

"No, it certainly is not," Albus agreed with a hearty laugh. He was quite used to, and was often the maker, of jokes about his age. "A toast, then!" The other teachers all looked up from their plates or paused in their conversations to raise their glasses. "To our dear friend and colleague, Filius Flitwick. May your next hundred years hold no, er, _shortcomings_ for you."

All the teachers laughed at this little joke. Filius was by no means offended, as he poked more fun at his short stature than did anyone else. Albus thought he saw the merest shadow of playful reproach playing across Minerva's face as she looked at him. Their eyes met, and for a second, just one glorious second, Albus stared in to her beautiful brown eyes, desperately hoping that they were looking at him in the same light. Minerva blushed and quickly turned away, bringing Albus sharply back to reality.

When breakfast was over and the Great Hall began to clear out, Dumbledore stayed behind as always so that no stragglers would feel completely alone. He watched Minerva as she made her way out of the Great Hall. She was having what looked like a very serious conversation with Poppy Pomfrey. Albus was a bit shocked. It looked as though Minerva was telling her best friend off for something, but instead of cowering under Minerva's glowering stare and fierce rebuke like any normal human would do, Poppy was giggling like a schoolgirl. Finally, Minerva abandoned whatever cause she had been so vehemently arguing and joined in Poppy's giggling. Dumbledore smiled and shook his head. When he noticed a group of first-year Gryffindor girls staring in shock at their uncharacteristically giddy Transfiguration professor, Albus let escape a small chuckle. _If only the students knew the real Minerva McGonagall_, he thought with a sigh, still not taking his bright blue eyes off of her,_ no doubt they would all like her so much better_.

Albus was just thinking about how beautiful Minerva was when she laughed, and wishing she would do it more often, when a squeaky voice from behind him almost made him spill tea down his front. It turned out that he wasn't quite as alone as he had thought.

"Okay, Albus," Filius said teasingly, "what's going on between you and Minerva?"

"I'm sorry, Filius, but I assure you I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about," Albus retorted, perhaps a bit too quickly.

"Oh, come off it! I saw the way you two were looking at each other earlier and how you were looking at her just now, and any idiot with half a brain could tell that she and Poppy weren't discussing her lesson plans for the day."

Albus looked sheepishly at the little man in front of him, measuring him up as though trying to gauge how much to tell him. "Oh, alright," he admitted with a defeated sigh. He decided that he might as well come clean. "I'll tell you everything," he promised, "but could we talk in private somewhere? I don't want this getting out all over the school." He inclined his head in the direction of the group of first-years that was still at the Gryffindor table. They were now craning their necks to try and get a better look into the Entrance Hall. Albus could tell by the excited looks on their faces that they had either thought that the sight of one of two of the most stone-faced staff members in the school laughing themselves to pieces was highly amusing or they had heard what the two had been laughing about. It was only then that something occurred to Albus. While he was sometimes a great fool, Albus wouldn't go as far as to call himself an idiot, and he was sure that he had quite a bit more than half a brain, he did not know about what Minerva and Poppy had been giggling so fervently.

"Filius, what exactly is it that Minerva and Poppy were going on about? I'm afraid I wasn't as quick on the uptake as you think I should have been."

"My dear man," Filius replied with the tiniest hint of shock. He did not want to let on his surprise at Dumbledore's naïveté. "They were talking about you!"

This surprised Albus, but at the same time, he felt an enormous wave of relief. Maybe there was still hope for him and Minerva after all. . .

"Come now, Filius," Albus said, snapping himself out of the very lovely daydream that would have completely engulfed him, leaving him entirely oblivious to the world around him, had he not detached himself so quickly, "I'm sure you have a very keen interest in my, um, affairs. No pun intended, I assure you," he added because of the sly look that was creeping onto Filius' face, "But this is neither the time nor the place in which to discuss them. Perhaps you could seek me out in a more private capacity at a time when neither of us is so otherwise occupied as we both ought to be right now."

"I don't know about you, Albus," the dwarf squeaked happily, "but I have nothing better to be doing than to listen to my dear friend share his deepest, darkest secrets." He finished with a malevolent grin and looked sideways at the Headmaster.

"In that case," Albus replied in a very matter-of-fact manner that reminded him of Minerva, "I've got quite a lot to be going about, what with taking you off the payroll and finding a new Charms teacher."

"Oh yes!" Filius exclaimed, "I'd quite forgotten! My NEWT class awaits!" He started up from the table in such a hurry that he knocked over the jug of milk. "Oh dear-"

"Not to worry, Filius. I'll take care of it. You just get to your class." As Filius hurried from the room, Albus cleaned up the mess with a wave of his wand.

After the giggling first-years had finally taken their leave, Albus stood up to leave. _This is going to be a very interesting day_, he thought as he walked out into the vast and very empty Entrance Hall.

When he reached the top of the revolving staircase that led to his office and crossed the threshold, Albus beheld a welcome, though unexpected, surprise. He did the best he could to hide his surprise.

"Albus," said the woman who was perched delicately in one of the armchairs opposite his desk and had started nervously when he entered, "I was wondering if we might have a word."

**A/N: _I'll have Chapter 2 up as quickly as I can!_**


	2. Wonderful Realizations

**_DISCLAIMER: I'm not J.K. Rowling...these aren't my characters, etc..._**

Albus closed the office door and settled himself behind his desk. He sincerely hoped that Minerva had not called with their relationship as her intended topic of discussion; he didn't know what he would say to her if she brought it up. Albus opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again when Minerva, who was uncharacteristically fidgety and slightly blushing, started to say something.

"Albus, I wanted to talk -" she began, speaking very quickly, but stopped abruptly when she saw that Albus had wanted to speak. "Oh, I am terribly sorry. Were you trying to say something?" She blushed even deeper.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was." Albus saw the embarassment creeping onto his friend's face and added quickly, "but it was a matter of no importance. Please continue, my dear."

"Oh," Minerva said quietly as the blush that had just started to fade moved quickly back up her cheeks, "thank you." Albus was glad that she did not press the issue further. The truth was, he had had no idea of what he was going to say to her, and was scared that he might start rambling and accidentally say too much.

Minerva didn't know where to begin. Here she was, sitting no more than three feet away from the man she had loved with all her heart since she was seventeen years old, and she still could not muster the courage to tell him how she felt. There were so many things that she was dying to tell him, so many pent-up feelings dying to be released; each, she thought sadly as she looked up into those magnificently sparkling blue eyes, as unlikely as the next to be returned.

She could feel the scarlet blush burning on her cheeks and her heart was beating so loudly in her chest that she was sure Albus could hear it. Minerva knew that she would eventually have to reveal to Albus her true feelings for him, but had never expected it to be so soon. She had been thinking about him even more these past few weeks and her love for him had intesified to such a volume that she knew she would absolutely explode if she did not soon let it out of the desolate, barren bowels of her heart. She knew what she had to do and knew that there wasn't any point in beating around the bush. That would just temporarily postpone the moment when she would have to spill her heart to the man who had unknowingly held it for so long. i _No /i _, she told herself in her sternest professor voice (the one she usually reserved for mischeivous Slytherins), i _no beating around the bush, just come out and say it /i _. Besides, if she didn't just get it over with, she might lose her nerve and not go throught with it at all.

So, gathering up all of her firey Gryffindor strength and courage, she took a deep breath and began, speaking slowly and trying to visualize in her mind the short speech she had prepared and rehearsed countless times in her private rooms the night before. "Albus, I wanted to talk - to talk - about -" She couldn't do it. She couldn't make herself say the words that had been dying to burst forth from her heart for all these years.

And then, without warning, and with no comprehension whatsoever of what she was doing, Minerva did something that she had not done at all in a long time, and never in the presence of anyone other than her long-deceased parents. She cried. At first it was a single tear trickling slowly down her face until it dropped silently onto her lap. That solitary tear was followed by a dry sob, and before she knew it, Albus had swept gracefully around his desk and was cradling her in his strong arms as she cried and cried, more than she had ever cried in ther entire life.

Minerva didn't know how long she cried, but Albus made no complaint and simply continued gently rubbing her back in comforting circles, whispering quiet words of solace to her. When she did finally stop crying, she pulled slowly away and looked down at her feet. She was so ashamed at having broken down in front of him like that, and could not even bring herself to thank Albus for comforting her.

"Min," Albus said, choosing his next words carefully, so as to avoid another breakdown, "you know that whatever happens, I will always be there to support you in whatever you do, and I am always more than willing to listen to you and give you advice whenever you need it. You are the dearest friend and closest confidante that I have ever had and I want you to know that you can tell me anything."

Albus' calming words helped ease Minerva's nerves and gradually ended her shuddering breathing, but they also made her think. Albus had just said that she was his best friend and that she could tell him anything. But what if she really opened up to him and what she said made their friendship awkward, or worse, brought it to an end altogether? Minerva didn't think she could bear the thought of losing Albus as a friend, even if it meant never being anything more than friends. She decided then that she could not go through with it because there was too much at stake to risk it all for her selfish feelings. "Albus, I am terribly sorry for the way I behaved," she said as she stood to take her leave, "I don't know what came over me. I was being-"

"Minerva, I'll hear no apologies; you have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. As I just said, you can tell me anything, and crying is a natural part of being human. My only regret is that you will not open up to me and tell me what is on your mind that is bothering you so." He reached up and took her hands in his. Biting her bottom lip anxiously and looking anywhere but at Albus, Minerva finally sat back down. "Now what is it that is upetting you? I hate to see you in this state."

The Deputy Headmistress sighed heavily. She wanted so badly to tell Albus how she felt about him, but she didn't want to jeopardize their friendship. She also knew, though, that if he knew she was keeping something important from him, he would be hurt. She was so conflicted that she thought she might cry again.

"Tabby," Albus prodded, using his pet name for the witch whose animagus form was that of a tabby cat, "I know there's something you're not telling me, and it's obviously very personal, or you would have told me about it before now. I respect your privacy, but whatever it is is bothering you a great deal, and I cannot stand seeing you so distraught."

**A/N: I hope y'all like this story..._PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE _leave a review!**


	3. Protect Her

_**DISCLAIMER: Je ne m'appelle pas J.K. Rowling et "Harry Potter" n'est pas le mien. Malhereusement, je ne gange pas de l'argent par écrire cette histiore.**_****

**A/N: Hey y'all! There were like two months between when I wrote chapter 2 and when I wrote this chapter, so if you see any inconsistencies, please let me know!**

When Minerva emerged from Professor Dumbledore's office several hours later (she had enlisted an unoccupied teacher to cover her classes for the morning), she was considerably more happy than she had been earlier that morning. As the Transfiguration Professor made her way to the Great Hall for lunch, her joyful mood, warm greetings, and springing step drew lots of confused and curious glances from staff and student alike. Everyone, it seemed to Minerva, seemed to be looking at her as though they weren't sure whether they ought to laugh or be scared.

On her way into the Great Hall, Minerva passed the same group of giggling first-year Gryffindor girls she had passed on her way out of breakfast. The sight of their Transfiguration professor in her current state of giddiness seemed to be too much for them to handle. They steered away from the Gryffindor table and ran right back out the door, apparently laughing to much to notice that they had nearly plowed over poor Professor Flitwick, who flattened himself against the wall just in time to avoid the path of the stampede of violently giggling eleven-year-old girls.

Filius, finally catching up to Minerva, panted, "Minerva, I do believe that you have set a personal record!"

"I beg your pardon?" McGonagall looked a bit shocked at this statement, and the tiniest hint of her normal self flashed in her brown eyes.

"Twice in the same day have I seen you giggling and carrying on as if you were an eleven-year-old student, rather than the formidable Deputy Headmistress of this school. This sudden change in attitude wouldn't have anything to do with a certain wizened, old Headmaster, would it?" Flitwick gave Minerva a sly wink and chuckle before continuing on his way to the staff table, leaving Minerva rooted to the spot, mouthing wordlessly like a fish out of water.

"Cat got your tongue?" said an amused voice from behind her, snapping her out of her daydreaming.

"Hmm?" Minerva replied absentmindedly while trying to hang on to the wonderful dreams that had been filling her head and were now slipping quickly away.

"You look exceedingly giddy. Even more so than you did this morning." Poppy Pomfrey observed. "Has something extraordinary occurred between then and now, or – " But her sly inquiry was cut short when Minerva suddenly turned and walked away. _Quite unlike her to do a thing like that_, she thought to herself. After following her colleague with her gaze, however, she discovered what had distracted her, and her earlier question seemed altogether unnecessary.

Through the doors to the Entrance Hall, Albus Dumbledore had just walked. Upon seeing him, Minerva had abandoned her conversation with her best friend. The nurse could tell at once that something had transpired between the two professors in the hours between breakfast and lunch. She was not alone in noticing several details of their interactions that supported this theory.

Meat pie and mashed potatoes, McGonagall and Dumbledore were conversing quite intently with each other. Filius, who sat on Dumbledore's left side, saw how the two sat slightly closer than usual, how they leaned in closer to each other when they spoke, and how their hands touched the entire time.

Filius leaned to his left and whispered to Severus, "Have you noticed anything peculiar about Minerva today?"

"Nothing in particular," the Potions Master answered uninterestedly before turning back to his meat pie.

"Well, have a look at her now," Filius urged.

"Is she sprouting tentacles from her head? Because otherwise, I don't see a point in partaking in your, um, _little_ game."

"You great prat, just look at her, will you?" Filius whispered more urgently than ever, paying no notice to Severus' play on words.

"Oh, all right," Snape spat, dropping his knife in fork in frustration, "if it'll make you shu-" But Snape stopped dead when he had followed his tiny colleague's gaze onto the Headmaster and Deputy. "Well, I'll be damned," he said in awe. Filius noticed that he had a very odd look on his face. "I'll be damned," he said again.

The rest of the day passed in a blur for Severus Snape. In his class immediately after lunch (Double Potions with the Gryffindors and the Slytherins), he nearly blew up the dungeon from lack of concentration. He was brought briefly to earth when Hermione Granger screamed at him not to add boomslang skin to his example to the class of the Pepper-Up Potion that he was brewing.

"Professor, stop!" she had shrieked, jumping to her feet and knocking her chair backwards, "You'll blow up the dungeon!"

Although he hated to admit it, the girl had been right. Severus knew that the girl had, indeed, stopped him from making a disastrous mistake, but he was not going to let her know that, and he was most certainly not going to take orders from a mudblood. He retorted, "Stupid girl, do you actually think that I am foolish enough to add boomslang skin to this solution? I was merely testing the class to see if anyone had done last night's assignment properly. Why isn't anyone writing that down? Especially you, Longbottom! Fifty points from Gryffindor for your cheek, Granger."

The girl returned to her chair and looked very downcast for the rest of the lesson. In retrospect, Severus knew that fifty points had been a bit much, especially since Granger had had a very valid point, but why not? He got to embarrass the girl and take fifty points from Gryffindor (which was in a very big lead) in one fell swoop.

Sitting on the sofa in front of the fireplace in his private rooms that evening, the Potions Master was contemplating the day. He was still shaken up from seeing Minerva and the Headmaster at lunch. He supposed he should have known that there was something between those two. _The stupid old git_, he thought, _he's way too old for her._ Severus mentally slapped himself for his stupidity. _She can do what she wants_, said a more resolute voice in the back of his head. _That was eight years ago_. Severus sighed, looked into the fire, and decided to resign to the weight of the day and retire for the night. He resolved to stop brooding over the past. It had, after all, been his fault.

As he paced around his office that evening, reflecting on the day and barely daring to believe that it had gone so well, Albus Dumbledore was interrupted from his thoughts by the tapping of an owl on the window. He walked across the room, admitted the owl, which he did not recognize, and took the letter from its ankle. Horrified by what he read, Dumbledore quickly pocketed the letter and ran from his office to Minerva's rooms. The letter, which was being crushed under the old man's anxious grip, appeared to have been assembled entirely by letters clipped from various newspapers and/or magazines on blood-red parchment, had read:

"You are a stupid, selfish old man. If you really love her, why didn't you protect her?"

**A/N: Bum, bum, buuuuum! Sorry about that, but I just _had_ to leave y'all hanging! There's more of this story and some more of my stories over on where I have the same penname. PLEASE leave a review!**


	4. The Injustice of it All

_**DISCLAIMER**__**: Harry Potter's not mine and I'm not J.K. Rowling.**_

**A/N: Here's Chapter 4! I decided to go ahead with this one instead of my usual cycle. After this chapter, I'll do Chapter 4 of **_**The Mystery Assassin**_** and then back to finish up **_**Something Good.**_** I hope y'all like this chapter. I figured it was about time to get the ball rolling! Enjoy!**

Clenching the letter tight in the pocket inside his robes, Albus hurried down the spiral staircase that led from his office. Down the deserted corridors and more stairs he went, never stopping for a moment to think of anything but Minerva. What had the letter meant? Was Minerva in danger? Who had sent it? All of these questions raced through Albus' mind as he ran though the corridors. He didn't know what he would do if something had happened to Minerva. Finally, reaching her office, he slowed to a quick stride. He pressed his ear against the door, but heard nothing. Trying the handle, he found it unlocked. This worried Albus. Minerva was always very careful to lock her office door before retiring.

Albus was horrorstruck at what he saw upon entering the room. The window was wide open, the chairs in front of the desk were overturned, the floor was littered with the usual occupants of the shelves around the room, and the desk itself looked as though it had been ransacked. Papers were strewn all over the desk and the surrounding floor; the drawers were all open, their contents everywhere; and the lamp and cookie jar that normally stood on the corners of the desk had been knocked to the floor.

Trying not to panic, Albus attempted to rationalize the situation. It appeared that the perpetrator had been looking for something, but had not known its exact location. Off the top of his head, Albus could think of nothing in particular that the he or she would have been after. The room also looked as if there had been a struggle. Albus, however, knew better than to assume that Minerva had been kidnapped. After closing and locking the office door behind him, Albus crossed the room to the large portrait of a Gryffindor Lion that hung on the wall opposite the desk. He tickled the sleeping lion under the mane and it was suddenly animated. It stretched and yawned and gave a low growl.

"Brian," Dumbledore said to the lion, which promptly disappeared as the portrait dissolved into a large wooden door that led to Minerva's private rooms. She had admitted to him earlier that day in his office that the password to her rooms was his own middle name. She had also told him, a bit shyly, on her way out, that he was welcome to come visit her any time he wished.

Thinking about this wonderful moment and finding it hard to believe that it had only occurred a few hours ago, Albus opened the door. What the Headmaster saw brought him the biggest wave of shock he had ever experienced in his many years.

There was Minerva, curled up on the sofa, with a cup of tea and a book.

After lunch, Minerva had gone through the rest of the day hardly noticing her surroundings. In her last class of the day, the whole class had whooped and cheered when she had told them to forget about the three-rolls of parchment-long essay that she had set the day before.

"I've decided, because of your good behavior today," she had announced, "that you need not complete the essay that was to be handed in on Monday."

"But Professor, I've already finished it!" Hermione Granger had exclaimed sulkily, as the rest of the class cheered around her.

"Not to worry, Miss Granger," Minerva had said, "You and anyone else who may wish to take the opportunity may complete the essay for extra points on your end-of-year exam." She waited for the excited chatter to die down before continuing, "Anyone wishing to take advantage of this offer will please submit your essay to me on or before the last day of winter term."

The Gryffindors had never seen their Head of House in such a good mood.

"Professor McGonagall's been acting strange all day. Did you see the way she and Dumbledore were acting at lunch?" Hermione asked Harry and Ron in the common room that evening.

"No," they answered in unison.

"Of course you didn't," she sighed.

"All I know is that she changed her mind about that essay," said Harry.

"Didn't you notice how friendly they seemed to be acting towards each other?"

"What's so strange about that?" Ron asked. "It makes sense that they're friends, doesn't it? I mean, my mum and dad had McGonagall for Transfiguration, so she's been around for at least-"

"I'm not stupid, Ronald. Of course they're friends; anyone can tell that."

"Well, what are you on about, then?"

"They were acting like a bit more than friends," she said.

"Gross, Hermione!" exclaimed Harry. Ron only gaped.

"Oh, you two. . ."

"'Oh, you two' nothing," said Ron, "Hermione, I don't want to think about those two together!"

"There's nothing gross about it, Ronald," Hermione said. "I actually feel a bit sorry for them."

"Why's that?" Harry asked.

"Because," Hermione sighed again with an I-can't-believe-you-really-need-to-ask-that-question tone, "they're obviously in love, but they can't let anyone else know."

"Why not?" asked Ron.

Hermione looked incredulously at him for a moment before looking at Harry, obviously hoping that he would have more common sense than Ron. When he merely shrugged, Hermione threw her hands into the air in frustration.

"How daft are you two!? No one can find out because then You-Know-Who might find out-"

"And go after McGonagall!" Ron finished.

"Yes! Finally, someone figured it out!"

"You know who else had been acting odd – odder than usual?" Harry asked the others.

"Who?"

"Snape," Harry said. Remember in Potions today he almost blew up the dungeon? Hermione, I don't think he was really testing anyone. If you hadn't stopped him. . ."

"But why would he blow up the dungeon?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," Harry said, "but I want to find out."

In her rooms that evening, Minerva could think of nothing but Albus. They had agreed, for both their sakes, not to make their relationship too public and Minerva was left wishing that she could scream "I love Albus Dumbledore!" at the top of her lungs.

With a sigh, Minerva resolved that it was all for the best and decided to be optimistic. So what if they couldn't walk down the street in Hogsmeade hand in hand? Now she thought about it, the prospect of a secret love affair seemed even more intriguing than a public relationship. It would be like in the old muggle films that she had seen where the top-secret government agent has to keep his friends and family secret for their own safety. _And besides_, Minerva thought with a grin, _if any of the staff find out, they'll take the mickey out of us_.

Minerva took a hot bath, put on her tartan dressing gown and sat down to start marking her seventh years' essays about **Animagi. An hour later, having only gotten through one and a half essays, Minerva realized that it was no use trying to concentrate and gave up on them for the night. She made a cup of tea, grabbed the copy of ****_Excruciatingly Befuddling Transfiguration Theory_**** off her bedside table and curled up on the sofa in the sitting room. No sooner had she found her page than the door to her office burst open and in charged Albus Dumbledore.**

**Albus breathed a sigh of relief and strode over to where Minerva was sitting. She stood up to greet him and he pulled her into a bear hug-like embrace. **

"Minerva, darling! I'm so glad you're alright," he breathed. He was panting heavily and stroking her hair comfortingly.

"Of course I'm alright," Minerva said. "Is there a reason that I shouldn't be?" She pulled out of his arms and looked up into his face. His startlingly blue eyes were not sparkling as they usually did, but looked instead worried and confused. Without saying a word, he put his hand on the small of her back and guided her back to the sofa.

"Sit, please," he asked.

Minerva sat, feeling more and more confused by the second. She looked up at Albus, who had not sat down and was now pacing back and forth. "Albus, please explain what's going on," Minerva pleaded, "You're starting to scare me."

Albus stopped abruptly, walked across the room, and stood directly in front of Minerva. He reached one hand in his robes and drew out a crumpled bit of parchment. He handed it to her, sat down beside her on the sofa, rested his elbows on his knees, and cradled his temples in his hands.

Minerva read the note three times over. She couldn't believe what she was reading, yet she knew that it shouldn't be unexpected. "What does it mean, Albus?"

"It means, my dear, that you are no longer safe. I believe that someone who wishes me ill has learned of our relationship and is attempting to use you to get to me. I don't think I can live without you, Minerva. I can't let anything happen to you."

Minerva could tell that Albus was blaming himself for this new threat. Now it was her turn to do the consoling. She slid closer to him and rubbed his back in circles. She pulled his hand away from his face, kissed the back of it, and looked into his sad eyes.

Minerva almost cried out at the injustice of it all. After all the years of longing, they were finally together. But now, not even twenty-four hours after they had declared their love, they were being presented with another challenge.

No longer fighting back the tears that were longing to burst from her, Minerva leaned on Albus' shoulder and sobbed to her worried heart's content. In the past, she had been discouraged by her inhibitions or by her feelings of inferiority. But now, Minerva had found something worth fighting for, and she was bound and determined not to let anything stop her. She wouldn't be able to go it alone, but she knew that, as long as she and Albus were together, they could accomplish anything.

As Albus sat on Minerva's sofa, once again cradling her in his arms, he thought about the woman whom he loved so much. "I love you, Tabby," he whispered.

Minerva pulled back and smiled at him. He reached up to wipe away her tears and she grabbed his hand. "Albus," she said, "I'm so frightened. I really don't want to be alone tonight. . .Will you stay here with me?"

Deciding that they would talk more tomorrow about the note and the state of her office, Dumbledore responded by way of a soft kiss.

**A/N: Hey y'all! I hope you like this chapter! Sorry it took a little longer to write this one than I had promised. I hadn't realized that the last chapter would get through the queue the DAY AFTER I posted it! I was banking on having a few more days to write! Props to the HPFF staff! **


End file.
